


Unfinished Business

by BlueDot77



Series: Butterfly Effect Saga [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Creepy Mark Jefferson, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Mark Jefferson Gets Powers, Sexual Assault, Stockholm Syndrome, Time Travel, We're all doomed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 04:02:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10779159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDot77/pseuds/BlueDot77
Summary: Nothing has been the same in Arcadia Bay since the week that no one remembers- no one except for Max. It was always assumed that Rio's sacrifice was the right choice- that the Bay was safe. Max finds out all too soon that her power is nothing special and that sometimes your unfinished business comes back to haunt you.





	1. Time Changes Hands

**Mark**

Mark Jefferson shifted grudgingly on his rough cot, missing the soft cushions of his couch back home. The fact that that joke of a security guard was the one to discover him just served to add insult to injury. Red bled into his vision whenever he thought about the prick. It dissipated, however, when his mind strayed to his dream subject.

Closing his eyes, Mark wondered if the unfamiliar girl would visit his dreams again tonight. Solitary confinement was so much more bearable when he knew she would be there for him in his dreams.

"Rio," Mark breathed her name, feeling his muscles loosen as he fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

_"Mark," Rio greeted him, moving forward and wrapping her arms around him. She was picturesque in every meaning of the word. Her long, ebony hair was pulled back into a thick braid and she was wearing a white, shift dress with lace sleeves. Her silver eyes looked at him and he felt as if she could understand him in a way that no one could. "I've missed you."_

_"I wish you were real. If I had you, I never would have gotten myself into this mess," Mark reasoned, brushing some stray hairs away from her pale face and behind her ears. He would kill for a camera right now._

_Rio didn't reply, she just started giggling, burying her face into his chest. He was wearing his usually white oxford and jeans- his teaching attire from before he got arrested._

_"You kill me, Mark," Rio replied breezily. "Come, let's go for a walk."_

_The scenery around him began to come into focus. He was standing in front of Blackwell Academy. Faceless students milled around the schoolyard. Rio pulled away and began leading him towards the road by hand. He marveled at how soft Rio's hands were in his own. There were small callouses on her fingertips; but her palms were smooth._

_Rio's eyes flickered among the vehicles that whirred past in the street. Loose strands of her hair were whipping around in a frenzy. Mark felt his gut sink lower as he realized the dream was coming to an end._

_"Save me, Mark," Rio whispered, stepping out in front of a bus. Mark cried out in agony, her hand slipping loose from his grip as of she were as tangible as the wind. He fell to his knees as the sound of students screaming and the bus's brakes squealing filled his ears. Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks and he smelled Rio's blood on the air._

* * *

Mark jolted up- a cold layer of sweat covering his skin. The dream felt so _real_. Mark ran to the door of his cell and began banging against the door furiously in a sudden fit of desperation. Finally, someone came to inquire about the ruckus.

"Step back from the door, creep," the woman ordered. The door opened up and Mark recognized McKellan- one of the night guards of the prison. "What's all the fuss?"

"I need out of here! Rio needs me!" Mark argued, coming off like a raving lunatic and not caring. Rio was real- she had to be- and she _needed_ him.

"Back off," McKellan ordered, reaching for her sidearm. Mark charged forward anyway and the guard lifted her gun, firing it. A blinding white light filled his vision and Mark blinked away the white spots. McKellan was still standing- strangely still. Her gun was pointed at his chest and Mark saw a small projectile between the barrel and him.

 _The bullet,_ he realized, stepping aside. He felt strange, string-like entities pulling at his fingers and wondered if it was possible that he stopped time. He'd seen Rio do it in his dreams, of course. She could make birds stop mid air and photograph them as if it were nothing; but that wasn't reality. _But this is._

Something about using the gift felt like slipping back into his skin. It was very similar to photography- creating frozen moments of time.

Mark grabbed the gun with one hand, using the other to hold the strings. If he could do this again, he could very well break out of the prison. A smile broke out across his face and he pistol whipped McKellan as time resumed. The hit was hard enough that it sent the blonde officer tumbling to the floor unconscious. He added a kick to the stomach just as a treat for himself.

_I wonder what else I can do._

* * *

_Rain fell down upon Max and she recoiled in horror from the lighthouse as its top half began to fall towards her._

"No!" Max cried out in shock. Looking around, she realized that she was just in class. Mr. Jefferson's replacement should be walking in the door any minute to start one of the lectures that the school board had created to replace Jefferson's curriculum. Max let out a breath and began organizing her notes on her desk- only stopping when she heard a familiar voice at the front of the room.

"It's such a brilliant change to see you all in your desks and not squawking gossip amongst yourselves," the male voice praised. Max mentally whispered a prayer and looked up. With dark eyes behind a pair of two tone glasses and his renowned goatee, there was no doubting who the man at the front of the room was.

"Mr. Jefferson," Max breathed his name in surprise. She glanced around at her classmates, expecting similar reactions from the lot. No one seemed affected in the slightest by the return of their professor.

"Yes, Max?" Mark prompted, staring at her expectantly. She felt the color drain from her face and faked an excuse about not feeling well. "Very well. You do look as if you might start vomiting and I don't think the color would look well on these floors."

"Thank you," Max muttered, gathering her things and bustling out of the room. She hurried down the hall and into the bathroom, sealing herself away in one of the stalls. Max dialed Chloe's number, certain that the blue haired punk would be able to help her figure out what was going on.

"Yo, Maximillion. Aren't you supposed to be in class or sumthin'?" Chloe asked over the sound of her truck's engine.

"Um, yea, I am. Look, Chloe, you remember what happened last month, right?" Max replied, chewing on her lip.

"Uh, yea! You saved me from that mental patient Prescott, remember? He got taken down for kidnapping Kate and all sorts of bad shit. Like killing- well, you know," Chloe answered, sounding a little put off by Max's question. "Why is this coming up anyway?"

"Mark Jefferson just came into my photography class and-"

"Since when do you call him Mark?" Chloe interrupted. "And why do you sound surprised? He's been teaching your class basically all semester."

Max felt her chest tightening in a panic-fueled vice. It grew harder for Max to breathe as her vision blurred around the edges. None of this was right. Everything was _fucked up_.

"Max? Hello? Are you alright, short stop?" Chloe asked, her own voice growing uneasy. Max collapsed to her knees.

* * *

_It was raining- a sensation Max was getting sick of very quickly. She forced her way through the sheets of grey rain. The path beneath her feet was muddy- the slick substance slipping with each step she took. She slipped, falling onto the ground and scraping her knees against some sticks. Lifting herself back onto her feet, Max noticed someone further up the path._

_"Wait! Hold on!" Max called out. She stumbled forward, feeling as if the path were growing longer with every step. The silhouette overhead paused and then reached out towards Max, beckoning her closer. Max rushed up the path but was too slow as the figure disappeared._

_Breaking out at the top of the cliff, Max felt her chest heave with each breath. Her eyes searched frantically until they landed on the back of a woman's head. She was sitting on the old bench, staring out at the skyline and not acknowledging Max's approach. Max thought she recognized her from somewhere._

_"Lex?" Max asked, coming around the side of the bench. It certainly looked like Lex- although there was something off about her nose and her chin wasn't quite as thin. The woman's long, black hair fell like a waterfall of inky behind her and her eyes weren't golden as Lex's were. "Rio?"_

_"Hi Max," Rio greeted, turning and smiling at the brunette. Tears were running down her cheeks in a seemingly never-ending flow. Her expression seemed to be a mix of sorrow and relief. "I've made a real mess out of things, haven't I Max?"_

_"What do you mean?" Max asked, coming down to sit on the bench beside her lost friend. She couldn't believe Rio was actually here right now. It had been a month since Rio gave her life for Arcadia Bay- and for Chloe._

_"Winter is coming, Max. I don't think I can stop it- not this time," Rio informed her, ringing her hands nervously. "I didn't mean to give it to him, Max. You have to believe me. If I could come back on my own, I would. I would give anything to be there with you right now."_

_"Is this about Jefferson?" Max inquired, realizing what Rio was saying bit by bit._

_"The power had to go somewhere, Max. Your power got him in prison- mine got him back out," Rio admitted, looking back out at the skyline. Max followed her gaze. Gigantic, towering clouds of grey were looming on the horizon and the bay was beginning to freeze._

_"You have to find me, Max. Take Le-" Rio was cut off as blood blossomed from her forehead and began running down her face in streams of red. Her skin drained of all color and then began to tinge grey. Rio's eyes grew cloudy and unfocused. Her mouth hung open and the tears stopped falling from her eyes. Max realized in horror that Rio was dead all over again._

* * *

Max jolted up, realizing that she was on a bathroom floor. Chloe was bent at the knee in front of her, running her hands over Max's face. Max felt sweaty and cold.

"You had me worried, you son of a bitch," Chloe chastised her, pulling Max against her. Max clutched desperately at the back of Chloe's shirt. Chloe was warm and comforting but Max couldn't shake the vision of Rio in her mind. It had been so long since she'd last seen those deep, silver eyes. She remembered the feel of the storm- rain splattering against her cheeks so thick she almost choked on it. She thought Rio was leaving to kill Chloe, but she wasn't.

Max sometimes wondered if, given the choice, she would have let Rio die in Chloe's place.

"Are you alright, Max?" David Madsen asked, kneeling next to her. His eyes were full of concern. Max felt guilty. She'd worried everyone.

"I'm fine," Max lied, pulling away from Chloe. She wiped her face clean with the soft palms of her hands. Her mind briefly returned to the feeling of Rio's calloused fingertips scraping across her cheek. A lump formed in her throat and she forced it down. Getting to her feet, Max made her way out of the bathroom- insisting that she was fine all the way. She wiped frustrated tears from her eyes. There was no time for mourning a girl she never knew. No time for-

"Max?" a lilting voice piped up just before Max walked into the source. Max's head whipped to the side and she looked up to see Rio standing there. Her hair was wrapped into a thick side braid that fell in front of her right shoulder. She was clutching a portfolio to her chest and her D3200 was hanging from a leather strap around her neck. She looked almost bored with the scene. Max squinted at her, trying to figure out how the timeline got so distorted.

Rio looked every bit as if she'd stepped out of a muted photograph. Her face was unblemished save for a small, white scar on her jaw.

"Rio? What are you doing here?" Max asked, confused by the situation. Her mind was reeling with this strange reality where Jefferson was still a teacher and Rio was alive and at Blackwell Academy.

"Mark sent me to make sure you were still breathing. Class is over," Rio informed Max, looking apathetic towards her task. She said Mark's name casually, but Max noticed a small twitch in Rio's features. "You left your things in the classroom."

Rio held an unzipped backpack out towards Max that was stuffed full with her journals. Her other hand held Max's camera. Max hesitated before finally reaching out and taking the items out of Rio's hands. She noticed several faint scars on the girl's wrists and her stomach twisted. What was Rio going through that caused her to make marks that fresh?

Max could still remember seeing Mark knelt before Rio, kissing her and making Rio's face flush. What was he doing to her now, now that he'd seemingly gotten away with his crimes?

"Are you okay?" Max asked, concerned for Rio's wellfare. Rio stepped back and her eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm not the one who ditched out of class. I need to go," Rio answered, turning and walking back towards the hall that led to Jefferson's classroom. Max noticed Jefferson leave his classroom at the end of the hall and meet with Rio. He was smiling as if he'd won the lottery. The way he stood so close to Rio made Max's chest tighten. She lifted her camera and took a picture.


	2. Photographic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max realizes things are not as they once were in Arcadia Bay.

_"Winter is coming, Max."_

"Rio!" Max cried out, jolting up in bed. Her eyes were brimming with fresh tears and she could smell honeysuckle. Max recalled her vision of the bay freezing over and shivered, wrapping her blanket tightly around her. It took everything in Max not to freak out when she saw Rio yesterday. It didn't make sense. Max talked to Lex for hours ever since the living twin made it to Blackwell. Lex saw Rio die- it wasn't like she mysteriously disappeared like Rachel.

"The power had to go somewhere," Max muttered, thinking back on Rio's words. Did Rio mean someone had changed the timeline using Rio's powers? If the power always came from someone else, did that mean that Max's gift came from somewhere as well? If Max thought about the gift like energy, it made sense. Energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can be converted or transferred. "But who would bring Jefferson back?"

There was a sharp knock on Max's door and she got up, stretching her stiff muscles. Max opened the door and saw Kate standing there, clutching a book to her chest. Kate was dressed in a pressed, soft pink blouse and a knee length brown skirt with off white stockings.

"Hey Max," Kate greeted with a smile. Kate recently started wearing her hair down- she wanted it to represent her freedom.

"What's up?" Max asked, trying to focus on Kate even though her brain felt like spilled rice. Kate raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you not remember the group project?" Kate inquired in disbelief. Max raised both of her brows and Kate let out a sigh. "That's okay, Max. I know it's been kind of crazy. I still can't believe what Nathan was doing to all of those girls- to me."

"They really think Nathan did all of that on his own?" Max speculated, trying to gain some understanding of what events transpired without her knowledge. "I mean, I know he was a bit off his rocker."

"Well, yea? His family paid for the bunker and all of his equipment- even the drug he used. It's not like he didn't have the resources," Kate replied. She was shifting from one foot to the other- obviously uncomfortable. Max decided to back off of the topic for now.

"So, what's the project about again?" Max asked.

"You, Rio, and I are supposed to be creating a collage using photos around the school to represent an idea like 'happiness' or 'God'," Kate informed Max as her usual small smile formed. Max's heart started pumping hard at the sound of Rio's name. "It was really weird for Rio to show up so late to class today. I guess she was running an errand for Mr. Jefferson though. He really seems to like her."

"Yea, he does," Max agreed, thinking back to the photo she'd taken of Jefferson and Rio standing together in the hallway.

"Anyway, we should go by Rio's room to grab her. She's really serious about her photography," Kate mentioned. Max nodded and followed after the dirty blonde. They rounded the corner and stopped just outside of Rio's room. Max remembered that night she and Rio kissed. Max had run to Rio's room seemingly ages after the dark haired girl disappeared.

If Max had known that Rio was in Jefferson's Dark Room that night, perhaps she could have saved her.

 _Who am I kidding?_ Max mentally grumbled. _I'm not hero. All I do is fuck things up and Rio paid the price for that._

Kate knocked out the door and withing moments it opened to reveal Rio. She was wearing a low scoop black tank top that showed a bit of a crimson bra with black lace on the sides where it was ribbed along with a pair of wine red skinny jeans. Max's eyes flashed to Rio's exposed forearms and she noticed the fresh bandages that now covered most of the skin there.

"Hey, Rio. Have your arms healed any since your fall?" Kate asked politely. Rio's expression tightened in a way that was barely perceptible.

"Um, yea, thanks," Rio replied stiffly. "Let me grab my camera real quick."

The door slammed shut in Kate and Max's faces as Rio disappeared back into the bedroom. When she reopened the door, she had her camera hanging from her neck. Max felt slighted by the fact that Rio seemed to pointedly ignore her presence entirely.

"Let's get this show on the road. I have to be somewhere by six," Rio informed the two, moving past them and starting down the hall. Kate followed at Rio's heels with her usual smile in place.

 _At least Kate seems okay,_ Max acknowledged. Not everything was worst case scenario.

"So, Church Girl, what are you thinking of for the theme?" Rio questioned as the trio reached the top of the stairwell and began descending.

"I don't know, really," Kate admitted.

"Well, you like the Bible, right?" Rio asked, glancing over her shoulder at Kate for affirmation. Kate nodded in response. "Perhaps we could do something along the lines of 'creation'."

"Or Revelations," Max muttered, thinking back to the storm that nearly wiped Arcadia Bay off the map. Rio looked back at Max and Max thought she could see something akin to understanding in the silver eyes. It made Max wonder if perhaps Rio remembered more about their shared past than she was letting on. If she did, why was she pretending to barely even know Max?

"Interesting idea," Rio admitted. "For now, maybe we should just take some shots and see what we come up with."

"That sounds like a good plan," Kate agreed, unaware of Max's inner turmoil of Rio's frequent dismissal of Max. They walked out of the dormitory and Max noticed something bright and blue fluttering in the corner of her eye. It was a butterfly.

 _Most of the butterflies are gone this time of year,_ Max thought, eyeing the insect as it approached. It moved forward and perched on Rio's shoulder. The dark haired girl stopped walking and stared at it. Max quickly pulled her camera out of her bag and took a picture, waving it as it developed and then putting the photo into her bag. Rio reached up and brushed the butterfly off of her shoulder- a somber look in her grey eyes.

"That was so neat!" Kate remarked. "It just flew up and landed right on your shoulder, Rio!"

"I noticed," Rio replied, plastering on a smile. Her gaze was distant as if she were in a whole different world. The trio moved on, beginning to photograph the different things that caught their eyes. Max found herself too distracted to focus on her photography- staring at a squirrel eating the scraps of a granola bar for nearly ten minutes when Rio approached. "Are you just going to stare at it until it poses for you?"

Max jumped, still adjusting to the sound of Rio's voice. Rio raised an eyebrow, but did not comment on the reaction.

"I just don't see anything out here that calls to me," Max half-lied. Seeing Rio in the natural light that filtered through the thin layer of clouds above made her fingers itch to grab her camera. Rio looked like a vision and Max was still convinced to a small degree that she was. Her hair fell in soft waves to her waist- free from the braid she'd been wearing it in. Her skin was as smooth and pale as ivory and her eyes reminded Max of pools of liquid silver. Her lips were a natural rosy pink and looked as soft as flower petals. The crisp air had turned her cheeks slightly pink and little puffs of air curled up in front of her with every breath.

"If you want to take a picture of me, Max, just ask," Rio prompted, practically reading Max's mind. Max blanched at her words, stuttering as she fumbled for a viable excuse. "You have photographic eyes, Max. I can see you taking pictures of me with them."

"C-can I take a picture of you?" Max asked, reaching for her camera. Rio smiled softly at her and it actually seemed to reach her eyes this time.

"Sure. Where do you want me?" Rio offered. Max gestured towards a nearby tree. Rio walked over and leaned against it, kicking one leg up and reaching her arms up over her head to cross them loosely at the wrists. Her bottom lip dropped just enough that, combined with the tactical tilt of her head, she looked downright _sultry_. Max felt a blush break out across her cheeks and fumbled with her camera. Once she had Rio in her lens, the butterflies in her stomach went into a frenzy. Sunlight filtered through the leaves creating a beautifully patterned aesthetic across Rio's skin. Her hair was like a mane that framed her face and curled beneath her breasts.

Rio could easily be a model if she wanted to. She had her aesthetic flaws, sure, but- to Max- they just made Rio all the more beautiful. Seeing her there as Max took her picture, Max almost forgot about the damaged timeline and Rio's warning in her dream. Whatever was happening couldn't be too bad if it brought Rio back to her, could it?

"How do I look?" Rio asked, pushing off of the tree and coming up beside Max. Max could smell the fresh honeysuckle scent coming off of Rio and wondered idly if it was just her natural aroma. Rio plucked the photo out of the camera and offered it to Max. "You gotta shake it, right? I mean I know it doesn't make it develop faster, but you seem to enjoy doing it."

Max smiled, taking the photo and shaking it. Rio formed on the film and Max marveled at how picturesque it was.

"That's a great shot, Max," Kate commented, coming up on Max's other side. "You should show Jefferson. He'd be really proud."

Rio's smile disintegrated at Kate's words and Max could feel the other girl closing back up.

"Actually, Kate, I think I'll keep this one in my private collection," Max decided, stowing the photo into her bag with the other one. Rio looked at her almost gratefully and again Max found herself wondering what Rio had been through in this timeline.

"Look at this photo I caught over by the totem!" Kate changed the subject, showing off the image on the screen of her digital camera. Max complimented it, but her eyes didn't quite make it down to the screen. She was still observing Rio, wondering what the other girl was thinking. Kate shivered beside Max and pulled her military green cardigan tighter around her thin body. "Isn't it abnormally cold for this time of year?"

_Winter is coming._

Max looked at Rio and noticed the other girl was staring up thoughtfully at the grey clouds above that seemed to be thickening. Max had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that another storm really was coming and that this one would make the last look like nothing in comparison.

Rio glanced down at her clock and cursed.

"Shit, I've got to go," Rio informed them. Before Max could inquire as to where Rio was running off to, the girl sprinted away.

"Hey, Kate, I think I left something back in the school. I'm going to see if David can let me in," Max lied, bidding farewell to Kate as she rushed after Rio. Kate waved her off and Max hoped that Kate wouldn't feel put out by her strange behavior.

Max needed to see where Rio was going.

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, behind the clouds. All of the grey clouds began to tinge shades of fuchsia and orange. Max caught sight of Rio running out to the road. Once she hit the sidewalk, her pace started to slow and she started looking out towards the road as if she were searching for something in particular. Max rushed forward and crouched below one of the stone walls, hearing the fountain babble behind her.

Rio continued down the sidewalk and Max pursued from afar, trying not to bring attention to herself as she stalked after the other girl. After about ten minutes of this tense game, a silver car slowed to a stop. Rio didn't hesitate before pulling on the handle and getting inside. Max realize whose car it was as it took off down the street and she began chasing after it in a panic.

"Rio!" Max cried out, rushing after the, Her foot caught on a break in the sidewalk and she tumbled to the ground, scraping her arms as she went.


	3. This Isn't Living

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio's side of things comes to light.

Rio

Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis- that feeling of being locked inside your own skin? It's as if you're drowning on the very blood in your veins and being crush by the oxygen you breathe. You're aware of even the smallest shift of a shadow but you can't will your body into action. There's this undefinable heaviness in your limbs and you wonder if this is what death feels like.

You are a corpse. A consciousness trapped within a dead weight husk. Your mind is the labyrinth you can't escape even though you can see the exit. It is reminiscent to gazing down at the maze on a child's menu that was misprinted. You see where the end is but someone misplaced a line so there is no clear path out.

What if I told you it could get worse? That the husk could move without you pulling the strings and that your soul would still be tethered to its carcass. It's like a decaying umbilical cord that you wish the doctor would just cut already.

Those things were what I felt.

Mark Jefferson saved my body from the precipice but my mind was not salvageable- at least not on the surface. It turns out that dying is a traumatic experience. Somehow, he placed himself in my path the day of my fall.

It was a coma- a coma I never should have woken from.

I saw the next life and all I could think of was his face hovering over mine in that damn water as my blood drifted up around me like confetti. He never should have been there- that wasn't how the story went.

My sister thought he was a saint. She sang his praises whilst I sat in a chair and watched my body rot- hooked up to a series of machines that breathed, ate, and practically pissed for me. I was just a sack of meat drawn taught over sharp bones.

He visited me whenever Lex was there- which was very often- because she would allow him into my room. If it were my mother, she would file some form of legal order to force Mark far away from what was left of my body. Every time Mark visited, he would pull a chair up to my bed and stare at me as if I were proof of life on another planet. He would whisper my name as if it were a prayer and brush my hair for me as if he had the right to touch me. I wasn't quite certain why I could recall events that had yet to pass. Perhaps it was because I was at death's door when the timeline changed and my memory in those moment's was preserved.

When I awoke from my coma, I could tell something wasn't right. It didn't feel as if I were behind the wheel. I could remember giving up, embracing death as an old friend and suddenly I was being surrounded by men with wrinkles that told their age like the rings of trees and nurses that smelled like chemicals when they came near. Bit by bit, the machines were pulled away and I was granted reprieve from my dependence upon them.

I will never take being able to pee on my own for granted again.

The list of surgeries I underwent was long enough to make my head spin. Eventually, I insisted that I didn't need to know.

Somehow, from that point on, I was declared living. It didn't feel like life. I felt like a specter waltzing among the living- like I was incapable of passing on do to unfinished business. Every atom in my body ached for release- whether it be from a knife or a much more effective free fall into traffic. Jefferson and Lex as a team meant that there was always someone peering over my shoulder, making sure that I wasn't going to off myself the minute I got sent home. It made me feel like ants were crawling on my skin.

Mom decided that what I needed was a therapist- a Dr. Rickers that had only moss green chairs that swallowed you whole and a pen-clicking habit that I could have sworn he was doing to test me. He told me my descriptions were "overly dramatized" as if I were describing myself in the nature of a Stephen King novel- lots of pretty words that last for two pages just to describe a pickup right before the crash.

He wanted me to simplify my experiences as if everything I'd underwent could be adapted into a children's book and read aloud on Sesame Street. I couldn't bring myself down to a level that he considered "normal" and my emotions were always either too intense or as empty as the carcass I was forced to drag to our weekly sessions.

Weekly because if I went more than a week without his constant vigil I was likely to attempt a swan dive in the name of freedom.

I got diagnosed with depression- the kind that swallows you whole, chews you up, and spits you back out as a mangled representation of what you once were. The diagnosis changed when I told him I talked to a dead girl with light brown hair and blue feather earrings. I don't know why I told him. Perhaps it was because shocking him finally got the bastard to stop clicking his fucking pen.

My new diagnosis was manic-bipolar. He prescribed medications that made it so hard to form a coherent thought that I almost forgot how to use my mouth. When I told him as much, Dr. Rickers told me it "must be working".

He encouraged me to pursue a 'creative outlet' and I wondered idly if carving his face like a jack-o-lantern counted as creative because it certainly would be an outlet.

Thus enters Mark Jefferson with his scholarship and an opening for a classroom assistant position. Lex was already convinced of his sainthood and badgered me until I nearly scratched out my ear drums to escape the sound of her voice singing that man's praises. She submitted my portfolio and an application with a forged copy of my signature as if she were performing a service.

Mom gave me a choice then. If I went to Blackwell without making a fuss and made progress there than she wouldn't make me continue seeing Dr. Rickers. I was eighteen at the time, so it wasn't like she could legally force me to go to the sessions. My personal guilt if I didn't go was much for effective than the law would have been either way.

Not seeing Dr. Rickers meant no more cotton mouth and unfathomable weight loss. It meant a chance at wanting to eat again- of feeling something other than the pain of metal biting into flesh.

I packed my bags and headed to my new prison because it was the closest to freedom I had been since I died.

The moment I realized that Max was Max again, I wondered if I could ever be me again. I remembered dreams- begging Max to free me and being incapable of explaining what was happening to me.

Mark had the very powers I once used to kill him- a cruel twist of fate that made me laugh almost as much as I wanted to cry. If I stepped out of line, I could feel him bring time to a hold so that he could correct me. The pause didn't work on me; but I pretended that it did because it was easier than facing the consequences of him knowing.

Despite not being able to freeze time, I was still the girl outside of it.

Mark could travel through photos. I wondered how many times he practiced doing it by going back and reliving his various...sessions. It revealed something almost tragic to me as well. Every photo he took of me would allow him to revisit those moments. I would see it in the subtle changes in the posing of the photos. I could feel it in the way my skin bruised or my stomach knotted.

When I heard the sharp knock on my dorm room door, I almost cried. He gave me two hours to myself- two hours to breathe unclogged air and actually exist independently. Mark had no right to drag me back so soon.

I rose from my bed, silencing my radio and walking stiffly to the door. I pulled the door open and leaned against the door frame, blocking the view of the ramshackle state my room was in. Kate was on the other side of the threshold. I liked her hair down. It reminded me of dark honey flowing down past her shoulders and brought out the gold in her eyes. Over her shoulder, I spotted Max. Purple splotches had formed beneath her blue eyes making them appear tired. Her hair still had the same endearing chunk that was never quite in place.

It amazed me that I had no urge to correct it.

"Hey, Rio. Have your arms healed any since your fall?" Kate asked politely. I tried to conceal my scowl at her observation. The cuts reminded me I was alive, but I couldn't let anyone see them. They would be able to see my weakness- sense how near I lurked to the edge.

"Um, yea, thanks," I replied stiffly. I paused for a moment and realized why the girls were there. I'd forgotten about the project completely. My two hour illusion of freedom had been too much of a distraction. "Let me grab my camera real quick."

I slammed the door shut in my haste, turning and grabbing my camera off of my desk, hanging it from my neck. I returned to the door and opened it again. I tried to keep my gaze from sliding over to Max. I had to keep my facade in place. I couldn't afford to care about anyone.

"Let's get this show on the road. I have to be somewhere by six," I informed the two, moving past them and starting down the hall. Kate followed at my heels and I tried not to feel like I was suffocating so close to her. Being near people was like being drenched in acid. I wanted to crawl out of my skin to get away from everyone.

"So, Church Girl, what are you thinking of for the theme?" I questioned as we reached the top of the stairwell and began descending. I needed to talk- to fill the silence with anything. Talking channeled my energy and kept the unpleasant thoughts today. My phone weighed in my back pocket like a constant reminder that I was on borrowed time.

"I don't know, really," Kate admitted. I pondered her statement for a moment. The scope of the project was fairly wide. Surely I could find a subject that would pull Kate a bit further from her shell.

"Well, you like the Bible, right?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at Kate for affirmation. Kate nodded in response. "Perhaps we could do something along the lines of 'creation'."

"Or Revelations," Max muttered. I looked back at Max, remembering the storm that threatened to destroy Arcadia Bay what seemed like ages ago- the storm that only a few people remembered. I quickly took on an apathetic expression to hide my thoughts. Max's eyes always appeared to catch the slightest shift in facial features.

"Interesting idea," I admitted. "For now, maybe we should just take some shots and see what we come up with."

"That sounds like a good plan," Kate agreed. We exited the building and I had to squint to see in the suddenly change in lighting.

I spotted a flicker of something blue and stopped in my tracks. On my shoulder was a vibrant blue butterfly. I heard Max's camera go off and held back a roll of the eyes. The butterfly reminded me of my tumble towards what should have been my death- of Rachel and endings. I brushed it off of my shoulder.

"That was so neat!" Kate remarked. "It just flew up and landed right on your shoulder, Rio!"

"I noticed," I replied, plastering on a smile. Nothing felt quite right since coming "back from the dead"- if I could even call it that. It was a confusing blur of white light mixed incomprehensible voices. I discovered that Max had barely moved a muscle and was staring at a squirrel eating the scraps of a granola bar for nearly ten minutes. Sighing, I approached her. "Are you just going to stare at it until it poses for you?"

Max jumped. I raised an eyebrow, but did not comment on the reaction. Max had been different all day- she was alert and very much aware of just how strange Rio's presence was.

"I just don't see anything out here that calls to me," Max claimed. I watched the way her eyes seemed to be taking me in as if I were a prism of colors before them.

"If you want to take a picture of me, Max, just ask," I prompted. Max blanched at my words, stuttering as she fumbled for a viable excuse. I smiled a bit internally. She was really adorable in a dorky, shy sort of way. "You have photographic eyes, Max. I can see you taking pictures of me with them."

"C-can I take a picture of you?" Max asked, reaching for her camera. I smiled externally this time, pleased to see Max relaxing even fractionally around me.

"Sure. Where do you want me?" I offered. Max gestured towards a nearby tree. I walked over and posed against it. I'd modeled before- more recently than I would ever admit to Max myself. When I saw the blush blossom across her cheeks as she stared at me through the lens of her analog camera. I recalled the feeling of her small frame in my hands and her earthy scent.

"How do I look?" I asked, pushing off of the tree and coming up beside Max. I plucked the photo out of the camera and offered it to Max. "You gotta shake it, right? I mean I know it doesn't make it develop faster, but you seem to enjoy doing it."

Max smiled, taking the photo and shaking it. I took in the image as it took form on the film. Max really did have a good eye for photography. There was a little glare in the corner, but it seemed to complement me in the photo.

"That's a great shot, Max," Kate commented, coming up on Max's other side. "You should show Jefferson. He'd be really proud."

My smile disintegrated at Kate's words. How much time had I wasted already? If Mark saw this photo, he would be furious.

I don't want anyone else to see you like this.

"Actually, Kate, I think I'll keep this one in my private collection," Max decided, stowing the photo into her bag with the other one. I stared at Max in grateful disbelief. Simultaneously, I had to subdue my own blush at the idea of Max having such a photograph of me.

"Look at this photo I caught over by the totem!" Kate changed the subject, showing off the image on the screen of her digital camera. It was an ethereal bird perched upon the old wooden totem. I almost thought it was a glare, but I could make out the fine detail of its feathers. Kate shivered and pulled her military green cardigan tighter around her thin body. "Isn't it abnormally cold for this time of year?"

I recalled the vision I'd seen with Max of the water in the bay turning solid as clouds billowed out from the horizon. My eyes strayed up to the grey clouds in the sky above.

I pulled out my phone, glancing down at my clock. The time read five minutes until six.

"Shit, I've got to go," I cursed, leaving without an explanation as I ran towards the main building. He would be there to pick me up and take me away. Once I made it to the sidewalk, I stared out into the passing traffic in search of his car. After minutes passed that felt like ages, Mark's car slowed to a stop. I pulled the door open and got in. Compared to the crisp air outside, Mark's car was practically burning. Mark was smiling at me with genuine warmth in his eyes, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to my cheek before pulling off from the curb. The touch barely even registered in the back of my mind. I felt myself beginning to shut down. I almost thought I heard my name but I knew better than to look over my shoulder.

After all, I was crazy.

No one was coming for me.


	4. The Haze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio meets with Frank Bowers.

Frank was in the parking lot when I approached, smiling broadly after he noticed me. Making connections with Frank was much harder in this reality. After all, I never went to him with Max and Chloe in this timeline. He and I never exchanged dated references amidst Chloe's somewhat hostile interrogation. That entire interaction was wiped from the slate.

To him, I was just another customer.

On most occasions, I picked up the GHB for Mark. Without Nathan, he required someone else to fetch his supplies. It made my skin crawl just touching the brown paper of the bag he usually gave it to me in. Mark promised me there were no new subjects- that he only needed me.

I really wanted to believe that.

At least then something good would have come of this.

Doubts still needled in the back of my brain. After all, Kate was still taken in this timeline. I couldn't find her binder- it was confiscated by the police- but a large part of me believed that Mark photographed Kate. Nathan might have taken her of his own volition, but Mark profited from the boy's misdeeds. My brain still had trouble reconciling the events of this timeline with the original one. There were gaps in my memory- missing holes in my story as if someone had ripped out pages at random.

The doctors attributed that to my brain damage I sustained in the fall. They insisted that some of my memories were false and others were missing altogether.

For instance, I remembered being trapped with Mark in the Dark Room.

_"What you are experiencing is simply a manifestation of your paranoia. Your mind is experiencing the ill effects of PTSD. There is a medication..."_

I shook off the doctor's voice. I knew that my memories of the Dark Room were real.

When I saw it in this timeline, it was identical to my memories. There was no dissuading me from the truth. The first time Mark took me back there, I nearly cried. I thought he was going to bind my body and leave me strewn across the couch in a drug-induced haze all over again.

"If it isn't my finest customer," Frank greeted, pulling me out of my own thought. I took notice of his eyes taking me in with no hesitation and I idly wondered how much of the circumstances surrounding Rachel's death actually made it back to Frank. His dirty blond hair was beginning to fall in front of his brown eyes. He was dressed in his usual black track suit jacket over an light blue shirt.

Ever since the week that changed Arcadia forever, the town seemed to be jaded. Frank was no exception. His appearance was a bit rougher around the edges and his eyes were darker. With no hope of seeing Rachel, Frank became a broken man.

"You need a haircut, Frank," I pointed out, walking up and glancing at the mostly empty lot around us.

"You don't usually make a pickup until Thursday. What's with the sudden call?" Frank asked, arching a suspicious eyebrow at me. I hugged my sweater clad arms around my body. The wind was so frigid that it nipped at my skin. I wondered if my cheeks were flushing from the chill.

"I was hoping you had something for me," I admitted vaguely. "Just a little taste."

I can't pinpoint the exact moment that I became desperate enough to go to Frank Bowers for recreational drugs. Once you're past your breaking point, time becomes a meaningless notion. Frank waved over to the other side of his RV and I stopped only for a second to pat Pompidou on the head. The large dog nuzzled against my hand affectionately.

"Pompidou's really warmed up to you," Frank acknowledged. I smiled softly back at him but it was an empty expression. I could feel the itch starting up beneath my skin. I wanted to scratch at it until I broke flesh and then keep scratching. "I figured you might be coasting on fumes, so I got some cooked up for you."

The RV was tight-spaced and full of clutter- slightly less than usual. Frank had cleaned up a bit. I followed him towards the back and my eyes were drawn to the needles resting atop a metal pan alongside disinfectant wipes. Frank sat down on one side of the tray, at the edge of his bed and I sat on the other. My fingers curled in anticipation- aching to snatch up the needle and feel okay again.

"Gimme your arm," Frank ordered and I did as instructed. He was surprisingly gentle as he pushed my sleeve up and wiped a spot clean. His fingers brushed my arm and I wondered how anyone could really be afraid of him. Sure, Frank was a bit off-putting if he didn't trust you, but he could be a genuinely empathetic person when his guard was lowered. "Now don't move."

The needle hurt less every time. This time, it felt like a harsh pinch. Frank pushed the plunger down and I felt a stinging sensation in my arm. Then he pulled the needle out and set it on the tray. Frank cleaned his own arm and repeated the process with the second needle.

It would be at least ten minutes before I would feel the effects of the heroin in my body. I whispered a thank you to Frank.

"It's no problem, sweetheart," Frank replied. I looked over at him, mildly shocked by the nickname, but decided to say nothing about it. "Anyway, you probably need to get back to class. You don't want to be walking when that wall hits."

"You're right. See you later, Shaggy," I stated, getting up and walking through the RV. If it were an ideal world, I would stay and ride the current alongside Frank. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him falling onto his back and staring up into the ceiling. His faced fell away and his eyes seemed to glimmer with unshed tears- his lips parted by the things he never said.

I knew that look well.

"Be careful, Rio," Frank requested. I almost scoffed at the concern in his voice. My drug dealer was worried about my well being. It was cute. I gave him a hollow smile and then exited the RV. Blackwell loomed before me and I strode up to it with a feeling of dread in my stomach.

_He's going to find out._

_He'll know what you did._

I shook away the voices. They were always present now- lingering in the back of my mind like the endless white noise between radio stations. I tried telling the good ole doc about them and he just upped my dosage. Now that I was in my gilded cage, no one could get near me with their pills.

I prescribed my own medications.

By the time I reached Mark's classroom, there was a stumble in my step. The world was growing warm and just a little hazy. I felt a real smile form on my face as I crossed the threshold. Eyes landed on my like pinpricks rather than burns and I took my seat in the back on Max's right in the desk she once offered to me in a different lifetime.

I heard the contours of conversations around me begin to die down and then I noticed a blur of brown hair. Max rushed into her seat, nearly tipping the chair with the force of her landing. She noticed me and her eyes grew larger than I'd ever seen them. A bubble of laughter built up in my chest and spilled out of my mouth like a faucet.

"Rio, are you okay?" Max asked, moving closer to me. Her brown hair was extremely askew as if she'd just yanked herself out of bed. She was wearing a pair of rumpled jeans with dirt stains on the knees and a shirt the color of peas.

"Wow, Maxie, you look a fright!" I exclaimed, trying and failing to swallow back the laughter.

"Miss Caulfield, so glad you woke up in time to join us so late in the afternoon," Mark commented, striding into the room. I rolled my eyes, uninterested in his power trip. "Everyone either stop talking or get out."

"Oh, so leaving is an option?" I remarked, raising an eyebrow as I turned my gaze on him. Mark's eyes narrowed a bit and part of me tensed underneath his scrutiny. Perhaps he'd found me out.

"Stay after class, Miss Verde," Mark ordered. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

_He's onto you._

_You're dead._

"I wish I were," I muttered aloud. Max cast a glance over at me and I pointedly stared at a photograph pinned to the board. I couldn't make out the subject from back here, but I'd been in the room enough times to know. It was of a cluster of trees in a dark, dank forest. The earth was a moist dark brown and the brilliant emerald of the leaves hung above it.

Class ended and I felt my downward spiral coming along. The drug just didn't last as long as it used to. Victoria approached Mark before I even had the chance to get up from my seat. I wanted to wrench her out of his metaphorical clutches- to scream at her to run before he saw something in her he liked too.

Then again, maybe he would let me go.

 _He's mine,_ a voice in my head whispered. I clutched at the sides and tried to focus through the overwhelming white noise. The volume seemed to crank up louder and louder with each passing minute and I wanted to scratch out my ears.

 _Go away!_ I ordered, attempting to hold the cacophony of voices at bay. I blinked away the blur in my vision and noticed Max staring up at me. _Max._

Sweet, clumsy Max with the disorderly brown hair and far too honest blue eyes. Max with the sweet, earthy scent that calmed my nerves and a habit for brushing her fringe when she's nervous. The voices simmered down in her presence and I nearly kissed her in relief.

"Are you alright, Rio?" Max inquired, reaching up hesitantly and feeling my forehead with the back of her hand. I leaned into the cool touch. I was beginning to feel slightly feverish and Max's touch was a godsend. I wondered what things might have been like in that other reality if Chloe died and I lived. Would I have mustered the courage to confess her feelings for Max?

Would the shadow of the Dark Room be a nightmare lurking in the back of my mind and nothing more?

Would Mark be in prison, rotting away whilst I took Max out to the beach for our first date?

"Just peachy, Max," I lied. I could never be all the things I wanted to be for Max. I barely managed to be enough for Mark. His hunger for art was insatiable. I worried that he would take a new subject and that I would be unable to prevent it.

Thankfully, his loss of his precious Dark Room put a hold on any of his potential plans. He couldn't risk bringing these girls to his personal home.

"Rio-"

"Miss Caulfield, you may leave. Do not be late to my class next time," Mark ordered. Max hesitated, her body refusing to move beyond dropping her hand to her side.

"Go on ahead, Max. I'm fine," I promised, faking a smile. Max started to leave and Mark followed behind her at a leisurely pace. My body tensed when Mark's gaze landed on her back and didn't stray. I bit the bullet. "So, Mr. Jefferson-"

The door shook on its hinges as he slammed it behind Max, his eyes flashing over to me. Mark locked the door and began striding over to me. I backed up a bit and my legs hit the desk. My hands splayed out across the dark surface to catch myself. Mark positioned himself in front of me and reached out, grasping me by my chin. I quelled my urge to struggle. It didn't matter that we were on school grounds.

He wouldn't kill me.

"Show me your arm."

He was definitely going to kill me.

"Rio," Mark prompted. I held my breath as I lifted my arm. Mark released my chin and gingerly picked up my arm. I could feel the rage swirling in his veins. At any moment, he would burst. He pushed up the sleeve of my sweater. His fingers ran across my skin and stopped once he found the mark from Frank's needle. His eyes seemed to skim right over the fresher of the scars along my arms. That was a lecture for another time- right now, it was about that hole in my arm and slight slur to my speech. "You were whoring around with that damn Bowers again, weren't you?"

"No, Frank and I-"

"Do not lie to me, Rio," Mark ordered, an obvious warning in his voice.

"I just needed something to tide me over," I claimed, hoping that Mark would be lenient. "Please, Mark."

"Am I not enough for you?" Mark asked, his gaze meeting mine. His dark, stormy eyes were burning into my skin. "Perhaps this was a mistake. Maybe you should go back on your medication- just long enough for you to see the light."

"Mark, no, _please_ ," I begged, grasping at his jacket's lapels and pulling him towards me. I felt panic creeping up my throat in a volume that choked me. My hands were clenching just to stop the nervous quiver in my bones. "I can't go back there. Please."

"I wasn't doing anything with Frank, I swear. I just needed a little H. It's been a rough couple of days," I insisted desperately. "I want to be with you, Mark. I really do. I would never leave you. Please don't send me away. I'll be better."

"Tell me you love me."

"I love you, Mark," I whispered. The mantra rose up in my mind and fell from my lips easily. "I am yours- body, mind, and soul. You are my protector and my savior. I will not go against your wishes again."

"That's my girl," Mark muttered, brushing my hair out of my face and tilting forward to kiss me. I felt the tears building in my eyes and I held them at bay.

_Mark is so great to you._

_Undeserving whore._

_You're a monster._

_I'm a monster_ , I thought in agreement with the voices.

Max's face blossomed in my mind and I remembered the photographs of her bound and spread across the floor of the cursed room. Being with Mark protected Max- it kept her safe and untouched.

For over a month, I had been able to see Max with bright eyes and looking at Mark as if he lasso'ed the son. That was worth every moment of hell I endured. As long as I could keep his real self away from the naive Max, then she was safe.

In the past twenty-four hours, however, I could see a noticeable change in Max's demeanor- especially towards Mark. I tried to maintain my aloof attitude towards her, but the significant behavioral difference was unmistakable.

_Max is remembering._

"What is going on out there?" Mark inquired. I heard the commotion outside his window and he moved over, twisting the blinds open. It was pitch black outside- as if the sun were no longer in the sky. I couldn't see outside of the weak illumination of the fluorescent lighting of Mark's classroom. People beyond the pane of glass- in the dark abyss- were screaming out. Phone lights flickered to life as they struggled to see. Even from within Mark's classroom, I could feel the temperature dropping sharply. "It's the middle of the day."

"It's impossible," I murmured, taking in the scene. I recalled the odd events that took place during that strange week in the original timeline when Max saved Chloe. The snow, eclipse, dying animals, and double moon that led up to the apocalyptic tornado tearing across the bay.

_The storm is coming._


	5. Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max confronts Lex about Rio's past.

**Max**

Max hesitated just outside of the classroom door, reluctant to leave Rio behind. Rio might not be the girl Max remembered; but Max was determined to do what she couldn't do for Rio last time.

She was going to save her.

The door swung open and Rio nearly barreled into Max on her way out. Her eyes were wide and full of terror. Max felt a deep chill settle into her skin as Rio passed her. Turning, Max called out after Rio as the other girl sprinted away. Without looking back, Max followed after Rio. She wished she wore a heavier jacket. The temperature was dropping exponentially with each passing second. The chill caused an ache in her bones and slowed her movements considerably.

Finally, Max rounded the corner and caught sight of Rio in the lobby, staring out towards the school grounds. Max clumsily skidded to a stop behind her, following Rio's gaze and holding her breath. Everything beyond the reach of the artificial lighting in the lobby was black- save for the dim glows of cellphone screens and flashlights. Ice was collecting on the windows, spiderwebbing out in cracks of white and pale blue. The glass was beginning to chip and people were running towards the door in a mob. Their fingertips were turning to shades of blue and their faces were scarlet. The panicked mob yanked the doors open and an icy wind ripped through the lobby.

Max felt a pair of arms wrap around her and yank her out of the path of the stampeding mob of teenagers. She was pulled into a nearby classroom that was cold and dark but still much warmer than the exposed lobby. The lock clicked into place and then someone flipped the light switch. Max looked over to see Rio panting beside her. Her forehead was pressed against the smooth oak door and her hair was in complete disarray. The weird hysteria was gone from her eyes and in its place remained the bone chilling fear that Max noticed before.

Wordlessly, Rio moved over to the thermostat for the classroom and began tinkering with it. After a few minutes of tense silence, Max heard a loud _whirr_ and the temperature started to rise subtly. Rio walked over to the emergency kit on the wall and pulled it down, opening it up and pulling out the bright orange emergency thermal blanket. She returned to Max's side and practically collapsed onto the floor beside her.

"Here," Rio offered, finally breaking the silence. Just outside the door, there was still a cacophony of panicked screams and crashes. Max took the offered blanket and shifted to fit herself beneath it with Rio. "If it's anything like last time, everything will return to normal soon."

Last time?

"Wait, you remember what happened last time? You remember me?" Max burst. Rios eyes slid closed and sighed. Max watched her breath curling up in front of her before dissipating. "Rio. Talk to me."

Rio's eyes glazed over and Max wanted to cry out in frustration. She could feel Rio- the real Rio- pulling away from her. It was the dreadful day on the cliff all over again. Max was losing Rio and she was powerless to pull the other girl back from the precipice.

"Rio, I can't figure this out without you," Max pleaded. She reached up and touched Rio's cheek, turning the girl to face her. Max felt a strange fluttering in her stomach when their eyes met and she tried to brush it aside. Max lightly bit her lip, glancing down at Rio's cupid's bow lips and thinking back to their first kiss. Without giving it much thought, Max leaned forward and pressed her lips against Rio's.

There wasn't much response at first, but then Rio's mouth began moving softly against Max's. Max felt a warm buzz spread through her veins, chasing away the cold. Rio's hands found Max's hair and began tangling in the short brown locks. Max slid her own hands upwards and threaded her fingers through Rio's long, black hair. It was soft- like petting a kitten's fur. Max somewhat envy'd Rio's long, dark hair. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Everything about Rio was beautiful.

Rio was the first to pull away and Max noticed a glimmer of life in her eyes. Natural sunlight began filtering through the window and slowly warming the room. The yellow light made Rio's skin glow and her grey eyes shined a lovely silver.

"Max," Rio whispered. Something in the way she said Max's name seemed to breathe new life into the room. There was a sharp rap on the door and Max jerked away in surprise. Rio's eyes went wide and that terror was back. Silver bled back to grey and it felt like Rio was lost to Max all over again as Rio turned the lock and the door opened to reveal Mark Jefferson.

"Is everyone alright in here?" Mr. Jefferson asked, his eyes resting on Rio considerably longer than they did on Max. Max recalled a time when his opinion could make or break her- the days when Mr. Jefferson overlooking her for someone else was the worst part of her day. Now, she was having to bite back the slew of curse words in her mouth. "The blackout is over."

"We're both fine, Mr. Je- Mark," Rio replied, instantly correcting her slip up.

Rio was on her feet, lingering just within arm's reach of Jefferson. Her eyes didn't stray from the teacher even as Max came to her side. Max pulled the thermal blanket tighter around her thin frame. She felt minuscule next to the two.

"I was worried about you when you ran out of my classroom like that. You could have gotten yourself hurt," Mark commented. There was a strange tingle in the air and Max watched in mute horror as even the specks of dust in the air slowed to a still. Mark reached forward and gently caressed Rio's face. Max did her best to remain still- trying not to give herself away.

 _He really does have Rio's power now,_ Max realized. Rio was motionless- not even her chest moved. _Is Rio affected?_

"What am I going to do with you?" Jefferson wondered aloud. Max noticed his other, slightly raised hand lower and the pressure around her lessened significantly. Rio's chest moved with breath again.

"Max."

Max's head whipped up when she heard Jefferson say her name. She could feel the cool floor of the dark room under her and see the bright flash of his camera. Jefferson trained his gaze on her and she felt her muscles tense.

What could she do? Rewind time?

It wouldn't do any good. If Jefferson possessed Rio's former powers, then Max's gift wouldn't affect him either way. Besides, giving her abilities away would only escalate the situation- especially if Rio couldn't help her.

"I think Miss Marsh was looking for you. She seemed pretty upset," Jefferson informed her in an obvious attempt to dismiss her. "I'll make sure Rio goes by the school nurse. With her fragile health, she needs to be checked on."

"I can take her," Max insisted, reaching forward and placing her hand on Rio's shoulder. The material of the other girl's sweater was soft to the touch.

"There's no need for that, Max. Come along, Miss Verde," Jefferson decided, gesturing for Rio to follow him. Rio spared Max a glance over her shoulder as she followed behind Mr. Jefferson. Max departed after them but lost the two in the sudden crowd of students filling the hall. Teacher's were yelling instructions and students were bumping into one another at random. Max's shoulder got jarred harshly when some slammed into her.

"Watch it, freak!" Victoria grunted, recoiling away from Max. Max looked up at her and froze. Victoria's usually pristine appearance was in disarray. Her blond pixie was sticking up in some places and there were dark splotches under her now dulled green eyes. Even her grey cashmere sweater was looking a little frumpy. Max recalled the way Victoria and Nathan clung to one another like siblings before. The codependent relationship verged on unhealthy.

"Victoria, are you okay?" Max asked, unable to stop herself. Victoria brushed one slender hand through her hair and cast Max a wary look.

"Just peachy, Max. What do you want?" Victoria replied in a clipped, unfriendly tone. She seemed almost unfazed by the black out. Her attention barely even extended to Max.

"I was just wanting to check on you. After everything with Nathan-"

"What would you even know about it?" Victoria snapped, her eyes flashing angrily. Max flinched and then considered rewinding the moment.

 _What if Jefferson senses is though? I can't let him know about my power. It's my only leg up,_ Max mentally reasoned, allowing Victoria to march off in a huff.

"Max!" another voice called out. Max turned and noticed Lex approaching. She was wearing a soft, pink sweater that scooped low in the front along with a pair of skin tight, dark wash jeans. Her hair was tied back into a high ponytail that allowed the fringe of her bangs to frame her face. She was a bit tanner than Rio with lighter hair and golden eyes. Max wondered if the two really classified as 'identical' twins.

Lex once told her that the two used to both have black hair and pale skin. Lex spent far more time outside and the sun lightened her hair and darkened her skin. Most of their differences were still only minuscule. Besides their eyes, any other difference was only really noticeable when they were side by side.

As she approached, Lex wasn't exactly smiling. Her pink lips were pulled down into a scowl and there was a concerned furrow in her brow. Max assumed that the other girl was just worried for her twin and prepared to tell her that Rio was going to see the nurse.

"That was insane," Lex remarked, throwing Max off. "It was like the sun just disappeared. I wonder what caused that."

"I have no idea. It's kind of freaky," Max remarked, trying not to get shoved by the passing students. She wondered if Lex was simply to preoccupied by the phenomenon. Previously, Lex always put Rio's well being before everything.

"I was with Warren when it happened. He was just as confused as the rest of us," Lex noted, observing the nearby students passively. Lex always seemed to look at things through the lens of a camera, photographing every second as if it might slip from her grasp at any moment. "They cancelled classes for the rest of the day, though."

"That's cool," Max commented, not quite sure what to say. "So... I just saw Rio a minute ago and-"

"What about her?" Lex asked, going rigid. Max registered the change in Lex's demeanor from casual to reserved. Lex was an open, warm person- not cold and closed off.

"Mr. Jefferson took her to the nurse's office- something about her poor health?" Max informed her, watching Lex's facial ticks closely. Lex's face smoothed out at the sound of Jefferson's name.

"Well if she's with Mr. Jefferson then she's fine," Lex stated decisively. A smile pulled at her lips as she gazed off towards the hall that led to the nurse's station. "He really is such a wonderful person. I told you the story about how we met him before we came here, right?"

"I don't think you have."

Lex gestured for Max to follow her outside. Max cast one last glance towards where Rio and Jefferson departed and then turned away. She wasn't any help to Rio if she didn't know the full truth. Something told Max that she had to follow Lex.

_"Take Le-"_

_Did Rio mean Lex?_ Max wondered. _Where am I supposed to take her?_

Lex led Max out of the building and they found their way to a bench. Lex sat at one end- turned towards Max and perched casually on the wood. Max could hear sirens going off nearby and wondered how many car accidents occurred in reaction to the phenomenon.

"Rio and I were on this gorgeous trail and we kind of wound up straying a bit. There were some shots I just _had_ to take. That's when Mark showed up. He was carrying a camera as well and happened to be taking some photographs nearby when he heard us. I recognized him immediately and got really excited when he asked to join us. It was really trippy, you know? Someone like _Mark Jefferson_ just happening to be on the exact same trail as us?"

Max had a sinking feeling that the meeting wasn't as coincidental as Lex thought it to be.

"It was kind of like fate, really, because he ended up saving my sister's life. I tried to pose for a picture of this beautiful cliff next to a waterfall and lost my footing. Rio tried to catch me but the tree root she caught couldn't hold up both of us. Mr. Jefferson couldn't even reach us- just kept shouting for us to hold on. Rio let go though- like it was nothing. I didn't even see him jump, actually, but I looked down and he was pulling Rio out of the water. Without him, she probably would have drowned before I could reach her," Lex informed Max. Her face twisted into a slight scowl. "Rio wasn't even grateful when she woke up in the hospital. She was so rude to him- I couldn't even stand it."

"Did you know he visited her in that hospital _all the time_? He was so kind and seemed really committed to her recovery," Lex mentioned. Max wondered why Lex bothered to ask questions when the answer was obviously no. "I just can't understand why Rio reacted like she did towards him."

"Like what?" Max prompted.

"She seemed terrified of him."


	6. Useless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max tries to sort out this new timeline and discovers something about Rio.

**Max**

Chloe offered to pick up Max from the school shortly after her talk with Lex. She mostly seemed concerned for Max's well being. The blackout freaked her out just as much as everyone else- even if Chloe wouldn't admit it. Max made the decision to tell Chloe everything- _again_. She needed to be able to talk to Chloe about all of this. No one else was likely to believe her.

Max could convince Chloe. She was sure of it.

Chloe pulled up in her pickup and Max clambered into the passenger seat. It smelled like marijuana and cheeseburgers, unsurprisingly.

"Hey Mad Max," Chloe greeted her casually. She was leaning a bit into her door with one hand on the wheel and the other wrapped around a can of soda. Max was almost surprised that it wasn't a beer. "How are you feeling? You totally wigged out yesterday."

"Chloe, there's some crazy shit going down in Blackwell and I hella need you to believe me," Max insisted with a grim expression. Chloe straightened a bit in her seat.

"Alright, Max. I'm listening."

Max fell into her tale of the events as she remembered them- everything from the week she got her powers onwards. Chloe sat silently, listening without commenting much. Finally, when Max was finished, Chloe pulled to a stop along the treeline. She put the truck into park and fell back into her seat, absorbing all of the information.

"That's insane, Max," Chloe finally remarked. "Jefferson is kinda weird, yea, but he was the one who _turned Nathan in_."

"You did save my ass way back when Nathan pulled that gun on me; but Jefferson was the one who turned in Nathan's photos of Kate to the police. He found them _in Nathan's notebook_. The prick's prints were all over them. David found Nathan's photos of Rachel in his dorm. His family even paid for the bunker. Where would Jefferson even fit into all of that? Why would he rat Nathan out if no one was even suspecting anything in the first place."

"Kate _was_ suspecting something," Max argued, trying to fit together the facts of this timeline with her own. She was beginning to form guesses on just what kind of changes Jefferson made. "She tried to kill herself when Jefferson wouldn't listen to her."

"Marsh tried to do herself in?" Chloe arched a disbelieving brow at Max. "No way. You told me all about how she confided in Jefferson and he brought the matter to the police's attention on her behalf. You thought he was a damn hero."

"And why do you even care about teacher's bitch, anyhow?" Chloe asked. "You're trying to tell me that in some other dimension she killed herself for us? All you've done all semester is gripe about how self-absorbed she is."

"Rio isn't really like that," Max stated. "She's just not very stable."

"You're not sounding very stable right now, Max," Chloe frowned. "I believe you about your powers- hell you proved that business to me a long time ago. You want me to believe that Jefferson has them now and that's just crazy."

"Nathan killed Rachel," Chloe insisted. "End of story."

* * *

Not being able to convince Chloe of Jefferson's true nature was like a punch in the gut for Max. Without Chloe or Lex on her side, Max felt useless. She couldn't fathom how she was supposed to go up against Jefferson's time pause ability. He was bigger- and stronger- than her. If it were Rio in her shoes, she might stand a chance.

Rio was tall and agile. She was like a chameleon- changing faces to fit into her environment as easily as Max might change into a new shirt. Rio was a force to be reckoned with. Max could remember fighting against her to keep Chloe alive. Rio's control over time was much more potent than Max's. Max still felt like a bumbling child whenever she used her gift- clumsily mucking up the timeline left and right. Rio did everything with precision.

If Max had Rio back, Jefferson wouldn't stand a chance.

Max stared out her window as rain splattered against the glass and an idea occurred to her.

Perhaps Rio wasn't as far gone as Max thought.

* * *

Max's knuckles rapped against Rio's door impatiently. She knew she was taking a big risk with this tactic- especially since Jefferson could now operate outside of the timeline- but she needed to test this theory. There was a shuffling behind the door and then it was yanked inwards to reveal Rio wearing only a thin tank top and a pair of navy sweats.

"What the hell, Max? It's three o'clock in the goddamn morning," Rio cursed.

"I needed to talk to you," Max informed her. Rio huffed but still gestured for Max to come into her room. Rio moved over to her radio and fiddled with the knobs until soft notes drifted up from the speakers. With Rio's back turned to her, Max saw her opportunity. Max rose her hand and felt the current of time beneath her fingertips and willed it to go in reverse.

The music distorted as the world began to move in reverse. She even heard Rio's door shut behind her.

Rio didn't move. Max lowered her hand as time resumed and her eyes stayed planted on Rio. Her plan worked. Max's brain worked as she watched Rio. The taller girl turned around, slowly, and her eyes were narrowed at Max. The twin orbs flashed silver and then Rio was stalking up to Max. Max tripped over her own feet backing away until her back hit the door.

"Max, you have to be more careful!" Rio insisted in a hushed tone. "Do you want to piss Mark off?"

"Rio-"

"You can't beat him Max. I wish I could help you but I'm powerless now," Rio reminded Max. There was something weird about the way she talked- her mouth didn't quite move in a way that fit the words she was saying. Rio walked over to her dresser and picked up a photograph. She returned to Max and handed her the photo. Max looked down and realized that it was a photo of Lex standing on a cliff's edge. Water was frozen in the still frame photo just behind her right shoulder. She was smiling with golden eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"I can't go back through this photo, Rio. I wasn't there when it got shot. I can't-"

Rio reached forward and touched Max's arm. Max's mind was flooded with voices- specifically, Lex's and Rio's. She could feel the somewhat familiar tug in her gut. Rio pulled her hand away and the voices receded as well.

"Mark was already with us. I wish we never went to that damned cliff," Rio mentioned. The vitality seemed to fade from her body. "I think you should go back to your room, Max."

Max didn't know what to say so she did as Rio said and returned to her own room with the photograph in hand. It felt like there was so much left unsaid- words left hanging in the air between them.

Rio used to always know what to do and Max never listened. Now Max was trying to listen and there was nothing Rio could tell her.

"What am I supposed to do?" Max asked, collapsing onto her back on her bed. She could hear the slight nuances of Rio's music through the wall. It hadn't occurred to her before how easily she could hear Rio through the thin walls. Max heard a loud bang and Rio shouting. There was another sound- a door being slammed- and then Max heard a man's voice. She scrambled across the room and pressed her ear against the wall.

"-are you doing here?" Rio asked in a shocked tone.

"You didn't come to meet me. I called you three hours ago. You were supposed to meet me," the man replied. Max couldn't tell for sure if it was Mr. Jefferson, but she didn't doubt it.

"Madsen nearly caught me! Security around here is pretty tight since Nathan," Rio insisted. There was a loud 'clap' followed by a crash and the sound of Rio crying out. Max stumbled away from the wall and rushed to the door. She yanked it open and tripped on her own feet trying to get to Rio's room. Her knuckles rapped urgently against the wooden door.

"Rio? Is everything alright?" Max called out. She tried to fabricate an excuse of her concern. Jefferson didn't need to know that Max knew he was in there. "I heard a crash."

The door opened just enough to fit Rio's frame. She was leaning a bit too much on her right leg and there was a red mark across her left cheek along with a small cut across the cheek bone. Rio's eyes didn't quite reach Max's. There was something chilling about the taller girl's gaze- like staring into the eyes of a corpse. Max couldn't see into the room and knew better than to encroach on Rio's space.

 _I should have called David,_ Max thought.

"Everything good in here?" Max asked again, hoping for a lie that she could convince herself was the truth. Or, even better, perhaps Rio would throw the door open and take a swing at Mark. They could get him together.

 _Just get out of the room, Rio,_ Max pleaded. _Come with me. We can get out of here. He can't catch us._

"Yea. My foot got tangled in one of my charger cords and I fell," Rio answered in a flat tone. "I'm kind of tired. You should leave."

"Rio," Max breathed her name, trying to find a solution. If Rio wouldn't act, then Max couldn't help her.

"Seriously. Just-" Rio stopped mid sentence and Max felt a strange tightness. Rio's mouth seemed to be paused mid word and Max followed her lead- refusing to move so much as a muscle. Jefferson appeared behind Rio, his glasses flashing in the dim hall lighting. His hand landed on her shoulder and he scrutinized Max carefully.

"I thought I heard a little doe out in the halls," Mr. Jefferson remarked, tilting his head at Max. She felt her stomach twist itself into nervous knots. Her body was wired, ready to sprint at any moment. "I wonder why you two are suddenly so _chummy_."

"You didn't tell me you were making friends," Jefferson stated, brushing some of Rio's hair back behind her shoulder. Max noticed a small twitch of Rio's eyelid and sneaked a quick breath while Jefferson's attention was diverted. Mr. Jefferson's attention returned to Max. "Maxine Caulfield- as I live and breathe. You really could be one of my greatest subjects."

Max felt her skin crawl and bile rose in her throat. The acidic taste burned but she held it in. Jefferson turned around and the air around Max depressurized once he was out of sight. Max almost fell to her knees in relief. Rio barely moved.

"Goodnight, Max," Rio whispered, her voice breaking. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes but she blinked them away. The door shut, separating Max from Rio. Max returned to her room- overcome with an exhaustion that penetrated her muscles down to her bones. She forgot how exhausting it was to endure Rio's ability. The longer time was paused, the more vertigo Max felt when it resumed.

Max barely made it to her bed before she collapsed.

 _I couldn't even help her. I'm so fucking useless,_ Max chastised herself, listening for any sound from the next room. She heard some shifting around and then the door opening and closing. Then, it was dead silence. _Rio._


End file.
